Zahi Hawass Declares War

In the days before this blog was started, in the old old days when people still used message boards, I used to refer to Mr. Hawass by various terms, all using ASS as a primary metaphor, and none of which received wide circulation. Times change, but ASSES do not. I cannot help but think that Mr. Hawass' latest declared wars on museums who possess Egyptian antiquities that Mr. Hawass thinks the current government of Egypt should possess will fail, and fail badly. Ultimately, this attempted blackmail will fail because Mr. Hawass cannot guarantee the safety of these antiquities once he dies - or, actually, even during his lifetime. What happens to these priceless artifacts if fundamentalist Muslims take over Egypt? We all witnessed what happened in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over, didn't we. The same kind of destruction of irreplaceable and priceless archaeological ruins and artifiacts is now going on in Iran, at official government sanction -- the official destruction of pre-Islamic Persian antiquities. It is done in the name of "building dams" and "building highways" - or whatever, but the end result is destruction of Persia's cultural heritage. This is going on in the United States, too. Contractors putting in roads, bridges, repaving highways, etc., on a daily basis, are deliberately ignoring national and local laws designed to preserve ancient heritage sites and uncovered relics. Whatever the motive, the result is the same. Permanent, irreplaceable destruction of the history of the world. Unfortunately, the Lourve and at least certain factions of the government of the Republic of France have caved into this blackmail. I say - well, you can can guess what I'd say! I don't think it will be that difficult, darlings! Long term, this is a badly losing gambit played by Mr. Hawass. What a shame.